KTM 990 Super Duke debuts in Laguna Seca AMA (photos)

It was a storybook weekend for the #394 ride of Eric Gulbransen as he became the first man in history to race a KTM 990 Super Duke in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class.

Following the announcement of the approval of the KTM 990 Super Duke motorcycle to serve as the 11th different motorcycle eligible to compete in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike class, Gulbransen showed up "Ready to Race" at the Laguna Seca MotoGP. Pit boss, Michael Meissner of Tri-Valley Moto, couldn’t have been more excited by the fan appreciation and encouragement from all involved, "We were swamped by fans all weekend long and even barbecued with some of them in the pits. We spent hours telling Super Duke stories and were amazed to see AMA officials wearing KTM "Ready to Race" stickers on their pit shirts. Turn workers cheered alongside the fans for our KTM rider as we took the checkered flag in qualifying."

The KTM 990 Super Duke proved competitive as Gulbransen finished 28th of 44 riders on a stock bike. "The stock 990 Super Duke was amazing. The bike is impressive in the corners and allowed me to make up time I lost from being underpowered on a stock bike on the up hill."